


Day of Thanks

by orphan_account, RougemageNick



Series: Just a RWBY OS full of OCs... [22]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 05:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2681405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougemageNick/pseuds/RougemageNick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey introduces the team to a chaotic new game as the Day of Thanks, an old holiday to celebrate the peace provided by Huntsman and Huntresses, approaches. As it does, the teams are enjoying only eachother's company and the easy-going day to day classes. But the mind of one is elsewhere, and can only be satisfied by the words of a prisoner...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day of Thanks

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARTWORK, SEE THE NOTES BELOW.

Day of Thanks:

Jay pulled his coat over his shoulders and adjusted it over his sleeves, still grabbing from the plate that Nick handed him for breakfast. Nick was laying back on Sasha's bed, looking over his blade, admiring the new design. Sasha yawned and sat next to him on the edge of the bed, not wanting to lay down, but not wanting to stand just yet. Her blade leaned against the wall next to the window as she ate her breakfast. Nick had finished his, and Anna was still deciding whether or not to eat. Jay looked over his shoulder at Nick and thought for a moment.

Jay chuckled, "You checking for scratches?" he asked.

Nick looked up from his sword, "Huh? Oh, uh...Why?" he retorted.

Jay sighed, "Because of the beating I gave you two...I thought you'd be checking for scratches..." Jay smirked as he turned and sat on his bed crosslegged, pulling his plate onto his lap.

"What?! You didn't give anyone a beating!!" Nick shouted at him in annoyance, sitting up and sitting next to Sasha.

Jay laughed, "Oh? Who kept falling for the same counter move?" Jay said, finishing his breakfast and putting his plate aside.

"Well who nearly went through a wall when he didn't manage to counter an attack?" Nick snapped back.

"As I recall, it wasn't you who threw that blow...It was your girlfriend. And I got up..." Jay said with a sly calm, lacing his fingers in front of his chin.

"Yeah, well, who landed the blow doesn't matter...It was a team effort...So her attack is my attack." Nick pointed out.

Jay laughed loudly, "Oh? Is that so? So I guess that moment when I confiscated **your** sword means I also confiscated  **her** sword...And I guess all those shots she missed were your misses as well? Come now Nick, just admit you got your asses kicked..." he insisted, looking past his hands at Nick's annoyed grin.

"Enough!!! Both of you...The match ended in a stalemate anyway..." Anna shouted over them, sheathing her axe on her back.

"That's because he-"

"That's because  **we...** Were evenly matched, and no one was landing any blows..." Jay interrupted him.

Nick scoffed, "Well still...That means no one's ass was kicked..." he muttered. Sasha finished her plate, having not paid the slightest attention to the argument, and yawned again, stretching her arms. 

"Anyway, we've got afternoon classes today, so let's go for a fie-" Nick was interrupted when the door was suddenly kicked off it's hinges into the room. He stopped and stared at the door in despair. He didn't even have to look up to see who stood in the doorway. "Oh my Monty, Mickey, can't you knock!!!" he shouted, not looking at her, but gesturing wildly at the door on the ground. Jay looked over Mickey, who wore her battle armor today, instead of casual wear. Behind Mickey in the hallway, there wasn't a cart there today Instead, Team SCRT stood in the hallway. Rachel leaned against the wall, with Sam standing next to her. The twins both swayed in rhythm, eyes closed, looking very drowsy still. 

Jay raised an eyebrow, "What's up, Mickey?" he asked tentatively.

"You guys have the morning off, right?" she asked without hesitation.

"Yeah...On Wednesdays, we don't have class till afternoon...SCRT could have told you that...Today, all six of our class periods overlap..." Jay explained.

"Perfect. Grab your weapons and come with me, kids." she said, waving her hand for them to follow her. Sasha stood shakily and grabbed her blade from the wall, dragging it behind her as they went until she finally decided to sheath it on her back. Team SCRT followed behind them, Sam came up next to Jay and Nick.

"Mornin', guys...How are ya' today?" he asked with a smile. His caramel skin looked slightly darker in the hallway, but brighter when they passed windows.

Jay shrugged, "I'm awake...That's about it..." he muttered.

Sam chuckled, "You're kinda grim sometimes, you know..." he said. Normally Jay would have taken umbrage to a statement like that, but from Sam, it somehow sounded more like a compliment than an insult.

Nick sighed and nudged Sam's shoulder, "He's still a little tired...He's been distracted all week. His head's on uh...A cloud..." Nick said, shaking his head and shrugging.

Sam turned back to Jay and motioned as though he was patting his back a couple times, "I remember you snapping at the twins not to touch you that time, so I'll avoid that for you..." he said simply.

Jay raised an eyebrow, looking sidelong at Sam, "Oh, uh...Thanks..." he said, nodding his gratitude.

Sam nodded back, "No prob...And don't worry about whatever it is...I'm sure you'll work through it...I can see you're the kind of guy who's good at solving problems. So why not just enjoy the morning for a bit and worry about it later, eh?" he said enthusiastically. Sam's charisma was very contagious, and even Jay couldn't help but crack a smile and nod. Sam turned back to Nick, who stared at Jay's smile in slight surprise.

He looked back at Sam, "That was impressive...You've got quite an atmosphere about you..." Nick nodded approvingly, putting his arm around Sam's shoulder. Sam smiled brightly and put his arm over Nick's shoulder also.

"So I've been told before..." he muttered as they walked.

Sasha yawned again as she walked, Rachel walking next to her, "Ugh...What...Are...We...Doing..." she asked idly.

Rachel shrugged, "Who knows...Mrs. Crazy Winds just burst our door open and said to follow her...Then we went to your team's room, and that's it..." she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know...I think those are the first non-sarcastic, maybe-not-completely-hateful words you've ever said to me..." Sasha said, looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Would you like me to go back to the hate-script?" she muttered, slightly annoyed.

Sasha shook her head, "No no...We can continue this...Just if you promise me that you still hate me completely." she said, nudging Rachel's crossed arms.

Rachel smirked and glanced at her, "To my very core..." she insisted, smiling a little. "But hate is only good hate if it's mutual..." she continued.

Sasha chuckled, "Don't worry, I hate you to. With every iota of my soul..." she said through gritted teeth, but with an evident smile. They both nodded to eachother as they continued walking.

Anna and the twins walked at the very back of the group, not bothering to go as fast everyone else.

"Why does that woman do stuff like this..." Tia muttered.

"Why does she do stuff like this to  **us**..." Chris added.

Anna laughed to herself, "Oh come on now, she means well...She's very kind, you know..." Anna stated simply.

The twins nodded together, "Yeah yeah, we know...She's a good person, but she can be overwhelming..." they said together.

Anna nodded, "True...But alot of people can be overwhelming, and not in good ways like Mickey...She may be overwhelming, but I think it's a good thing...She's protective and happy to lend a hand...I mean just think...We weren't the only ones fighting out there on that freighter...Mickey and Alice were there too...And they were protecting us...Giving us the opportunity to get through the mission safely...She may have saved our lives out there that day..." Anna chimed, glancing from twin to twin. They both sighed and groaned a little.

"Alright...I suppose we'll just...Deal with it..." they said.

Anna chuckled, "Aw, come on now, chin up...Maybe we're going to do something fun..." Anna said as they rounded a corner to the hallway with the gym door entrance. 

"Or...Maybe not..." the twins said annoyed. Mickey threw open the doors to the smaller of the two gyms and the teams followed her in as they all stood around her, looking at the box she had placed in the center of the room. She'd clearly been in here preparing something all morning. The benches on the wall were now visible through a window on the large box that surrounded them, serving as a protected sitting area. Alice sat on one of the benches in the room, sleeping. The twins looked at her with envy. Her dustcart was in the room next to Alice.

"So...Kids...I'd like to play a game..." she said with a menacing voice. Everyone glanced around nervously before returning attention to the locked chest on the floor before Mickey. She reached down and unlocked it, pulling open the box. It was filled with medium sized red balls. They appeared to be made of an elastic material. Mickey looked over the student teams, taking in their confusion.

"These...Are the medium through which one can play one of the ultimate games...Cannon Hunting." she explained, carefully removing one of the balls and holding it up for all to see. She closed the top of the chest and walked around the students, letting them get a closer look.

"What the fuck is...Cannon Hunting?..." Sasha asked.

Mickey smirked and turned to her, "Me and my team invented it during our time here at Beacon...It was a pastime, you see. And it quickly became one of our favorite things to do...The rules are simple..." she said, handing the ball to Jay, who looked it over with his Semblance. "Jay, tell us what you see..." she asked, going and sitting on the chest.

"What in the...What kind of rubber is this...It's...Like...Some sort of...Super rubber..." he said, looking carefully over it. Nick waved his hand to take it from Jay, "Be careful with it..." he said. Nick took it from Jay's hand and looked it over.

"Hm...What do we do with it..." He asked, turning it over in his hands.

"You avoid it." Mickey answered. "You see, that ball is designed with just what Jay said...A type of super rubber. It loses almost zero momentum from friction, and it will bounce off of anything. Blade edges, bullets, a person...Anything." she continued.

"And we...Are supposed to keep away from it?" Sam asked.

Mickey stood, "Allow me to explain further. Each player will be given one of these at the start of the game. When the game begins, you throw it. As hard as you can, in any direction you please...The ball will then bounce wildly around the room, wall to wall and such...And your job...Is to not get hit...And make sure your opponents...Do." she said, looking around.

"So it's last man standing?" Sasha asked, getting excited.

"Yup. You may deflect these balls with your weapons. Hit them towards other players, block them, keep your body safe. If it hits any of your body other than your weapons, you lose a life. Each player starts with 15 lives. If there are more than for players, each player has ten lives. If there are four or less players, each player will start with two of these balls, called cannons, instead of one. When your life count hits zero, you're dead, and you must join me and Alice in the box. Last man standing with any lives is the winner. Nick, you'll have to empty your arm of cartridges. And before you ask, since your arm is not considered a weapon without the dust, you will not be allowed to use it to block. You may use your gun, and sword. Samuel, since your weapon is an exo-skeleton, you'll be restricted to blocking only with the metal supports of the suit. We will be monitoring your auras from the booth and counting lives lost that way...So don't think of cheating by saying you dodged or blocked with your weapon when you didn't. Don't worry about using blade edges, these will bounce off of those two. I'd say that Rachel is at the biggest disadvantage in this game, so she'll be gifted three extra lives. And remember kids...You just have to avoid the cannons...If you'd like to attack your other students, you can...You can shoot at them, you can shoot at the cannons, you can fight close up or from a distance, you can use the corners of the room, anything to screw up the other players. You may  **not** grab the cannons. You may  **not** catch them and toss them. You must deflect them. You can swing your weapons at them like a bat, you can do whatever you want, you just can't hold the cannons..." she explained.

Everyone listened with rapt attention as they got more and more excited for the game. The twins were now wide awake, and awaiting the start of the game eagerly. Nick held onto the cannon he was given and drew his sword, as Mickey stood up and opened the box again, taking the cannons and passing them out to everyone as they drew their weapons. Jay's new tonfas extended to their five feet length and he placed one tonfa on the ground, standing on it's end with the claws in the ground to hold the cannon Mickey game him. Anna and Sasha both held their weapon in one hand and the cannon in the other. The twins only pulled one baton each, holding the cannon in the other hand and readying themselves to draw the other immediately. Rachel held her curled up whip in one hand, and the cannon in the other. Sam's Excalibur exoskeleton snapped over his body as he put his gauntlets on and took the cannon from Mickey's hand. Mickey picked up her chest and went to the booth, shaking Alice gently awake once inside and activating the external display, which showed all of their faces and the lives were displayed under them.

Mickey activated the sound system, "Alright kids...Get ready...Toss the cannons on my count...And prepare for the most chaotic situation you've ever experienced. Three...Two...One!!!" she shouted, as all of the cannons were collectively tossed in every direction...

* * *

 

Mickey laughed as she watched through the window of the booth. No one stood still for more than a moment or two at most. Rachel ran the border of the room, dodging the cannons as she ran, lashing out at any that crossed into her golden range as she went. She'd already lost a life at the start of the match from Anna's first attack. Sam was facing off with the twins, who'd taken two of his lives, and had lost three between them, Tia having lost two, Chris losing one. The twins practically danced circles around Sam, who did his best to avoid cannons as the rained from every direction. Jay was the only one standing firm in the entire room. He'd clipped the ends of his tonfas together, and the ten foot diameter they provided around him with his Semblance was near impossible to get through. the staff swung around his neck, caught in his right hand and swung around his back to his left, blocking two cannons as it moved. Sasha skirted his range, trying to find an opening. Nick was trying to get through Anna's defenses, but she'd switched to longsword form, and was pushing him to the wall quickly, and he had to throw himself up over her, losing a life as he did. Anna quickly turned, but stopped short, dodging a cannon from one side and blocking one from the other. Jay' suddenly swung out towards Sasha, who tripped trying to duck the attack, and losing a life when a cannon bounced down on her stomach from the cieling. Sam blocked both Chris and Tia, accidentally moving to close to Rachel, who cracked her whip to his leg. Both of the twins took the opportunity and slammed two cannons towards him and took two more lives from him. Chris was suddenly smacked on the side of the head by a cannon thrown by Jay, however, who had collapsed his tonfas back into the two five foot lengths, and was now locked in battle with Sasha, whose sword swung with more speed than ever before. Jay pondered how she had become so quick as he moved right into the path of a cannon thrown by Rachel. He stood and gritted his teeth, ripping his attention from Sasha and dashing towards Rachel, who saw him coming and began to lash out at him only.

"I'll destroy you for that!!" Jay shouted with a devilish smirk and red sparks in his eyes.

"Come get me, bright eyes." she taunted. He swung his tonfas around to block another attack from Sasha, who'd taken up a position behind him. As he swung back to Rachel, he clipped his tonfas back to staff form and glanced over the life count as he did.

Jay - 8. Nick - 7. Anna - 9. Sasha - 7. Samuel - 6. Chris - 7. Rachel - 10. Tia - 8. 'Damn extra lives...' he thought. Anna wasn't letting Nick get a seconds' reprieve from her, keeping him locked in motion with her. No one even really knew how much time had past, and none cared to guess, instead focusing entirely on the game. Nick turned and glanced around the room, taking it in as he did and suddenly had a thought. He did his best to jump out of Anna's reach, but he wouldn't have more than a second there. That was all he needed however...He turned his gun on Chris as he leapt over Sam and shot at his head. Chris' aura was more than sufficient, so it would do him no harm. The shot hit square and Chris stumbled, landing hard on the ground and losing another life. He stood and glared angrily towards Nick, who returned to trying to fight off Anna and the cannons around them.

He jumped to his feet, dodging another attack from Sam, "Tia, handle Sam, I got a bone to pick with this guy." he said. Nick smiled and turned himself a little, putting Anna between him and Chris. Chris stopped short of Anna's spin attack, and ducked a cannon thrown by Sam, who'd taken two lives from Tia already, and lost one himself. Rachel and Sasha continued to bare down on Jay, who dodged Rachel's whip. Sasha raised slammed another cannon at him, slamming it into his back. He grimaced and rolled forward under Rachel's lash, which struck the cannon that hit Jay as it bounced down from the cieling. It struck Sasha's jaw and bounced back towards Rachel, who dodged left, but couldn't evade Jay's counter attack. At ten feet, the staff's head slammed into her shoulder, and Jay jumped over a rebound from Anna's fight with Nick to get close to her quickly. Rachel jumped to her feet and activated her Semblance, making Jay trip over his own foot. But Jay rolled forward again and jammed his right tonfa towards her. Her Semblance activated again and instead of her chest, the claws grabbed her arm, which Jay used to swing her around into the middle of the room. Sasha dodged back as Rachel nearly fell right into her after being thrown by Jay. Sasha raised the flat of her blade and deflected a cannon right into her shoulder as she stood.

Nick's ploy to make Anna easier to deal with had succeeded, after he'd drawn Chris into their fight. He didn't just attack Nick, but took swings at Anna whenever he could. Nick shot at Anna to keep her back, while deflecting Chris' attacks with his sword. Anna had already lost three more lives when suddenly Chris turned towards his sister, who'd been brought down to two lives while in combat with Sam. Sam had only been brought down to four lives. Nick and Anna both took the opportunity to take two lives from Chris while his back was turned...But instead of turning back to them, he rolled forward and went back to supporting his sister, striking Sam's left leg and turning, slamming a cannon into his side from point blank range. Rachel's life count was also suffering, having been thrown into the middle of the room. Jay was now skirting the edges of the room, and had since taken four lives from Rachel with Sasha's help. Sasha angrily tried to take shots at Jay, but with his back to the wall, it was easier than ever for him to dodge and counter towards her. He and Nick now held the lead with seven lives each. Samuel was the first to die out, having reduced Tia to her last life and Chris to two lives. Chris and his sister barely had time to celebrate however, as they immediately turned to eachother, each striking a cannon at the other. The cannons slammed into one another and bounced back at their original attackers. Tia to zero, Chris to one. Chris turned to get back into the fray, but didn't make it two steps...Tia had activated their Semblance at full strength and closed her eyes, blinding her brother for the two seconds it took Nick to slam a cannon in his direction. 

"Damnit Tia!!!" he shouted in annoyance as he went to the booth to sit with Sam and his sister. His sister smirked and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You deserved it...Going off and leaving me on my own against Sam? Hmph." she said in a self satisfied tone. Meanwhile in the ring, Nick had moved in to get Jay back out into the middle of the room. Anna went to attack Sasha, who already had her hands full with Rachel, and lost two more lives in the span of three seconds. But Anna also lost a life when she accidentally tripped at Rachel's Semblance. Anna turned to Rachel and frowned, activating her own Semblance to make Rachel see a cannon moving right towards her head. She dodged the illusion, right into the path of Sasha's attack, and a rebounding cannon from Jay and Nick's fight.

"Your team is down, Gaias...How long do you think you can keep in the game with only three lives?" Sasha taunted.

"I'll stay in just long enough to break you, Scathach." she snapped, turning in a quick circle and spinning her whip around her body like a ribbon. The whip snapped straight, scattering all of the cannons around her. Sasha and Anna both lost a life in the attack. Sasha stood and looked up at the scoreboard, then down at Anna. She raised her sword and deflected another cannon from Jay and Nick's fight, bouncing it intentionally at Anna, bringing all three girls to an even three lives each. Anna looked shocked, her mouth hanging open a little, looking at Sasha as though asking 'Why...' but her face turned serious as she jumped onto her feet out of another attack. She gripped her resolve and turned to face both Sasha and Rachel.

Nick was trying to find an opening to shoot at Jay through the tonfas, which he had now at their original two and a half feet, and was spinning them around in circles, using them to block any of the cannons that came close, as well as keep a tight knit defense that Nick was having no luck in getting through. Nick grimaced. He'd lost two more lives, where Jay only lost one. He needed to do something to even the field quickly...But Jay wasn't making it easy. He jumped and turned circles with both body and weapons, landing and turning around again, blocking the cannons from every direction. Nick was simply batting the cannons away from him with the heel of the gun, and his sword, while keeping a careful eye on Jay. Suddenly he saw his chance as Jay clipped his tonfas back into the longstaff form. He bashed off another cannon and raised his gun, not pointing at Jay, but at his staff. The shot jolted his tonfa forward a little, Jay with it, who was struck by another cannon, losing another life. Jay growled something in annoyance and turned, slamming a cannon at Nick. Nick dodged and swung towards him again, but Jay immediately countered, swinging a tonfa up in a wide arch, bouncing the cannon away and knocking Nick's gun clear out of his hand. Nick jumped back, trying not to stay too close for too long, but Jay came after him. The wide range of his weapon ensured Nick couldn't get far enough fast enough to ensure safety.

"OH MY GODS, YOU AND ANNA BOTH, WHAT IS IT WITH YOU TWO AND THIS WHOLE ACROBATIC STAFF THING?!" he shouted as he blocked Jay's attacks, pushing the tonfas away as he shot from them during the wide swings.

"What can I say...Maybe I picked it up from Anna with all that...Team...Training!!" he grunted through his attacks, bouncing a cannon at Nick, who barely failed to dodge the attack. Suddenly Jay's attacks picked up momentum, quickly stripping him of one more life. Nick narrowed his eyes angrily and reached out, catching the staff in his hand as Jay swung. Jay's eyes widened as Nick pulled hard, yanking him forward, into a rebounding cannon from the other fight going on in the room.

In that same time, Rachel had been reduced to one life, having had one taken by both Sasha and Anna. Sasha also had one more life, after Anna's illusions took two from her. Anna had only been dropped one life, however.

"Gods...Damned...Illusions!!" Sasha gritted, raising her blade to block Sasha's attack and jumping back over cannon the flew at her from the back. Rachel dodged the cannon as it came at her and swung around at Anna...But the illusion vanished as Anna came up beside her, swinging for her body, Rachel jumped easily over the attack, but Anna kept going, turning and slamming her blade into a cannon, throwing it at Sasha, who'd just taken a swing at Rachel...Both cannons hit their mark, knocking Sasha and Rachel out of the game. Both of them sighed and quickly dashed over to the booth, going to sit next to the twins.

"I hate you..." Rachel muttered.

"I hate you more." Sasha retorted. Rachel pushed at Sasha, who pushed back with her strength, shoving her into Tia.

"Three left..." Mickey said over them. Everyone turned their attention to the field, where Anna had immediately swung at Jay, taking one of his lives before he could stop her, bringing him to two lives. "Ouch...That girl's on a mission..." Mickey added. They watched both the life counter, which showed both Jay and Anna at two, Nick at one. Nick had taken to a defensive position and was countering only. Anna glanced back at the life counter while spinning to avoid a cannon and spied Jay at two and Nick at only one.

"Sorry Jay, but I have to make this even..." she called through the noise of the bouncing rubber.

Jay smirked, "If you can..." he retorted. Anna suddenly turned and dashed back into the middle of the room. Jay almost lost another life watching her move when Nick deflected a cannon at him.

He snapped his fingers in a sarcastic manner, "Oh no, did I distract you, I'm real sorry about that, go back to watching your girlfriend, I'll just be here..." he taunted, dodging another cannon. Jay turned back to Nick and extended the tonfas to five feet.

"NICK!!" Anna called as she threw his gun in his direction. Nick grinned and caught the gun in his left hand, immediately aiming at Jay, who turned to block, taking his eyes off of Anna...Anna swung a cannon right into Jay's back, throwing him forward. He landed on his stomach, and looked up to see Nick swing his blade towards the cannon that had knocked Jay forward, intent on sending it back at Anna. Jay quickly scrambled feet and jumped towards Anna, wrapping his arms around her and turning her away from the cannon, letting it hit him in the back. He sighed and kissed her on the neck...

"Do your best, love..." he muttered, and quickly ran off towards the booth, avoiding the cannons. She could only watch him go for a few seconds. Her mind came back to the match as Nick's next attack struck her square in the stomach. She fell onto her back and rolled out of the path of another cannon and jumped to her feet, dodging the cannons and keeping her eyes on Nick, who did the same. Jay came in and sat down next to Alice on the first bench. Alice put her arm around his shoulder.

"Good job, kid...She didn't keep that life long, but you did good." she said. Jay chuckled and nodded.

"That was easily one of the sweetest wasted gestures I've ever seen..." Sasha laughed.

Sam waved his hand at her, "Don't listen to her, man. That was awesome. And even if it didn't last long, that was still sweet, and I'm sure she thinks the same." he reassured him.

Jay sighed, "I know, I know...Well then, let's see...One to one..." he said, bringing everyone's attention back to the game. Everyone looked out at Nick and Anna, who continued to bat the cannons away, trying to chase eachother around the room, attacking eachother with cannon shots. Anna swung towards him again, and Nick shot the cannon immediately, bouncing it away. Anna charged Nick, who swung a cannon towards her...But the illusion vanished as the cannon past through it, and Anna swung her axe in a wide arch, slamming the cannon back towards him. Nick's eyes widened as he tried to back up. His legs slipped and he tripped on his feet... His sword came up as he fell back...Right in front of the cannon. The cannon hit the flat of the blade and bounced right back at Anna. The force of the bounce knocked Nick's sword from his hand, sticking into the wall as the cannon struck Anna in the right shoulder...Taking her last life. The booth erupted in chaos as everyone came to their feet in shock. Jay looked with silent surprise while everyone laughed and marveled at the trip of fortune.

"Alright everyone, stay put..." Mickey said, standing and going to the door. She kicked it open and walked out, unsheathing her fans and turning in a circle on one heel, swinging her fans in a circle around her, unleashing wind dust in a great vortex that swept through the whole room. The cannons were stopped mid-bounce by the fierce winds controlled with Mickey's aura. The balls began to drop to the ground, but Mickey immediately swept her fans low, sinking to her knees as she did, catching the cannons just before they hit the ground and letting them down gently. The booth erupted again as everyone came pouring out, shouting incoherently about the last three seconds of the game. Jay immediately walked up to Anna and took her hand, helping her to her feet.

"S-sorry Jay...Especially about turning on you like that...You or I could have won if I hadn't done that..." she muttered.

Jay shook his head, "Nah, you have nothing to be sorry for...What's there to be sorry for? Playing a game? Taking advantage of an opportunity while you had it? Nah...None of that. Sorry for uh...An unfortunate slip..." he muttered, glancing back at Nick, who was laughing hysterically and pulling his sword from the wall.

Mickey cleared her throat, "Ladies, gentlemen, as the winner of the match, Nick gets to pick the parameters of the next match...And gets...Bragging rights...Of course." she explained.

Nick chuckled and walked into the middle of the room, "Thank you, thank you...I have just one thing to say... **Now** who kicked whose ass, Jay?!" he said. Jay was about to speak up, but Mickey waved her hand to silence him. **  
**

"You can't, Jay...He's the winner..." she said.

Nick shook his head, "No no...I didn't mean it, I just had to say it...That was...Even for a game...A noble move you pulled, Jay. As such, I want to give Anna the winner's privilege instead...I may have won, but that was luck...Anna could have won, and hey, it's not like it matters to me anyway, so have at it, Anna..." he said, waving his hands towards her.

"That was a surprisingly...Mature gesture, Nick...I didn't expect it from you..." Jay said in an intentionally facetious manner.

Nick scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I'm not always a twelve year old in mentality..." he retorted.

"Well actually, there's one other thing winner got...The winner of this match is allowed to pick the seating arrangement for tomorrow's dinner..." Mickey said above the din.

"Wait...Tomorrows...Wait, are we having a Day of Thanks dinner? You're still doing that?" Jay asked, looking towards Mickey. Mickey sighed and nodded.

"Of  **course** I'm still doing that!! It's tradition...And it's tradition to bring your family. So I thought...You guys would be glad of the distraction anyway..." Mickey continued, shrugging. Everyone looked back and forth between themselves for a minute.

"Wait...So...You...Consider us... **All** family?" Rachel spoke up. Everyone glanced at her for a moment before turning attention back to Mickey and Alice. Mickey looked at Alice, who came over and put her shoulder around Mickey's.

"Of course we do...With all we've been through in these four months...Short though they were...Well...Maybe it's being near death a bunch of times together, but we just...Feel close." Alice explained.

Sam cleared his throat, "I think that clinches it then...We're...A family...It does seem fitting, doesn't it...It's all the better...How many of us really had a perfect family life anyway?" he asked. Everyone looked at eachother...But no one spoke up. "There you have it...We're pretty much as close as it gets, I think..." he continued. No one spoke, but everyone agreed...

Suddenly, the twins raised their hands above their heads, "NEW GAME!!!" they shouted.

Mickey took her fans out and nodded, "Dragoons are right...I'm in this one. Come on!!! Come get a piece of the reigning champion!!!" she shouted. Alice chuckled and took out a pair of golden knuckles, attaching them to her hands. The knuckles had long back-hand extending blades on each side. Everyone looked at her with shock for a few minutes.

"........What?...I used to be a mercenary...I'm not just a pilot, you know..." she insisted. Mickey went to the chest and pulled out two more cannons for her and Alice.

"Let's get this game started!!!"

* * *

 

Mickey stood over Jay and Sam as the cannons fell into the sweeping winds and dropped gently to the ground. Jay and Sam, who'd managed to make it to the final three in this game, were both breathing heavily and laughing a little. Alice had made it to the last five, even without the skills of a huntress. The last game had seen the twins prove their solidarity once more, until they turned and tied the match with a simultaneous win. And the match before that had seen Mickey fall to Alice in the final two. No one could even determine whether or not Mickey was just holding back for her wife, or if Alice had just gotten lucky, or even if it was just how good Alice really was. But either way, everyone cheered as loud as they could for the Fell Wing. Alice's victory was the game right after their first, and it took everyone by surprise how quickly Alice jumped in and swept everyone. Her golden knuckles, which she had told them were called Reason and Persuasion, slammed into every cannon that came her way. She looked very much like an incredibly skilled kick-boxer. And the blades that extended outward from her hands towards her forearms simply added to her skills. No one saw it coming...But no one was all that hurt about it.

"Sorry kids...Looks like this game is mine." she said, sheathing her fans and extending both hands to help them up. "Alright now...It's been fun, but you kids have classes now, right? Everyone's dust shipment is on the cart...Grab 'em and get to class..." she said, waving her arms at all of them and picking up the cannons as she walked around the room. She began to replace them into the chest as all of the students present retrieved the box with their names. Anna was the only one present whose weapon didn't employ dust...She'd always wanted to, but didn't mind not using it. The teams decided to walk to class together today, idly chatting about the game and trash talking the others. They were the first to class, and sat together as Professor Port watched them sit. Jay sat in the corner of the room, by Sam and Nick. The twins sat with Anna, and Rachel sat with Sasha, just enjoying a palpably hateful silence. 

Sam turned and snapped his fingers to get Jay's attention, "There you go again, lost in your head..." he said. "I wonder what goes on in there..." he added as Jay glanced around.

"I'm not sure you'd like it in here..." Jay answered with an almost sheepish smile.

Sam turned to Nick, "What do you think..." he asked simply.

Nick shrugged, "Who fuckin' knows. Sometimes I get the impression that he doesn't really know, himself. But that's only because his head's been in the clouds lately." Nick answered. He glanced past Sam at Jay, who'd already returned to his head. "Hm..." Nick raised an eyebrow.

Sam turned back to Jay, "Well what exactly is the problem? Maybe we can help..." he asked, trying to get Jay's attention again.

"It's probably the same thing it was days ago...Xellos...The mission...His threats...It's just not sitting right with him, and he's trying to riddle it out like he does everything." Nick explained.

Sam frowned, "Well I'm not sure I can help with that..." he muttered as more and more students came into the classroom. Team RWBY came in a little late, almost missing the start time. Everyone in the class looked over at Belladonna, whose eyes were becoming darker and more heavy looking. Her arms were crossed over her chest, clutching books tightly against herself in defensive posture. It was clear now that she was trying to avoid everyone's stares, and walked quickly to her seat in a routine manner, which made them think that she was being stared at almost everywhere she went. Not uncommon for faunus, but worse so in her case...It was obvious though that she didn't want anyone's eyes on her.

"Pay attention now, class...We'll begin with a new story today, with a new type of grimm..." Professor Port began, starting into a story with an incredibly rare Draco Grimm. Nick looked over at Jay a few times with apprehension during the class, but it was clear Jay wasn't noticing anything that was going on. He walked behind the group from class to class instead of at the front with Nick and Sam. After their classes ended and they were heading back to the dorm, they were intercepted by Mickey, who asked them all to sit down and talk about tomorrow's dinner.

"Uh...Hey Mickey, are you like...Gonna be cooking all day?" the twins asked together, sounding almost afraid of the answer.

"Well...I'll have Alice's help, but yes..." she answered.

"Oh, well wouldn't it be more efficient if...Like...We used the time between classes tomorrow to like...Get things? Or prepare them? I mean team JNAS has some empty periods tomorrow...Two in a row after lunch time, right? We could prepare things to bring in for you...That way you don't have to use up the entire day cooking and such...Reduce the stress, right?" Sam interjected. Mickey looked silent for a few minutes.

"Uh...You guys...Don't have to do tha-"

"Guys?" Sam interrupted her, gesturing to the other students present. Everyone immediately began to insist that Mickey accept their help. Everyone was talking at once and Mickey looked around at them until she waved her hands for them to calm down.

"Fine fine...Alright, you guys win, we'll do it that way...Each of you can bring in something you like for the dinner, ok? You can go into town tomorrow and get some of the things you're no-doubt already thinking about...We'll meet at my home at 4:30 pm...I'll send you the address, ok? Just...Don't be late...And don't go out of your way to get things." she insisted. She waved them off back to their dorms. As they turned to leave, Nick caught a glimpse of Jay...He had been paying close attention to what Mickey was saying. For the rest of the day, Jay seemed back to normal, helping everyone with their homework as if enthusiastic. He was quick to bed, however.

"Why do we have to go to bed early tonight though..." Nick argued.

"Because if we didn't already have classes to deal with, tomorrow's the Day of Thanks...We'll all be staying up late, and it's a good idea to be well rested, right?" Jay answered.

"Jay, we've handled more on less sleep..." Nick retorted.

"And has that really worked out perfectly every time? Not really...And maybe I'm a little tired from the Cannon Hunting games this morning..." Jay responded.

Nick scoffed, "Someone's just eager for tomorrow, it would seem." he muttered.

"Is that really that bad? Having a nice dinner with friends and family...I  **am** looking forward to it, ok? So maybe...I just really want it to be tomorrow already. Either way, I still think it's a good idea." Jay continued. Sasha sat at her desk, not paying attention, and Anna was already in her hammock, listening to music. Nick sighed in resignation.

"Fine...Like it matters anyway..." he said silently, going to get ready for bed.

* * *

 

The next morning, Everyone was woken by Jay, who had already gotten dressed and armed for the day. He had his coat on over his uniform, and his weapons on belt. He woke everyone and told them to get ready for first class as soon as possible. They'd also have to go into town later that day to get the things for dinner that evening. He sat crosslegged on his bed and meditated the whole time they were getting ready.

"You are...Way too eager..." Sasha said drowsily as she came back, pulling her sword onto her back.

"To tell you the truth, I've spent two plus years as Mickey's friend. Her Day of Thanks celebrations are quite something. It is something to look forward to...So yes. I am...Eager." he said, keeping his eyes closed and his body posture still. When everyone was ready, he snapped up off the bed and was walking in the front of the group again on the way to the first class. 

"So...What're you getting for the party then, eh?" Nick muttered to him in class.

"It's a surprise. And for that reason, I'd prefer to go into town on my own to get it..." he said.

Nick raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Just tell me what it is..." he insisted.

Jay sighed, "It's ingredients...I'm making a dessert. If you must know...And it's a secret. It's a recipe I made myself that proved to be quite successful. Mickey and Alice both liked it in years past. And I would like to show it off." he explained, only just listening to the Professor Goodwitch's explanation on auric preservation.

Nick laughed, "Oh? You're cooking?" he nudged Jay's side.

Jay glanced at him with slight annoyance, "Baking. And please refrain from touching me..." he asked in a tone that sounded more commanding than requestive.

Nick sighed and went back to taking occasional notes. It was stuff they both knew, but occasionally, Ms. Goodwitch would say something about test material, or something they didn't know, and they'd take note of it. After class was over, they had about an hour till their next class.

"We're gonna go into town to get materials now, Jay...Are you sure you don't want to go with?" Nick asked. Jay shook his head. "Uh...How about Anna and Sasha go...I'll just...Wait to go with you." he said to Jay.

Jay frowned, "As I said, I would prefer to do so on my own..." he insisted.

Nick nodded, "I know...So we'll...Go to town, and you can...Go get whatever it is you're gonna get, ok? I'll go get my thing, you get yours, we'll meet back up, no one has to be secluded." he said.

Jay sighed and shrugged, "Fine...We'll do it that way." he said. "In the meantime, I'd prefer to get something for breakfast...I woke up early and got out the door without something, so let's go do that and wait for next class...Anna and Sasha can go into town." he offered. The girls both shrugged and went off towards the airfield while Nick and Jay went to the cafeteria. As they got into the bullhead, Sasha called to the pilot to take them into Vale. He nodded and started the bullhead.

"So what are you gonna get for this?" Anna asked.

"Mashed potatoes...LOTS of them. Oh!! Actually, we should probably call SCRT and Nick and Jay to tell them, so we don't all start gettin' doubles of something..." she said, pulling out her scroll. "What about you?" she asked.

"I want fruit. Like...A fruit salad. I know how to make it, and I'm gonna get stuff...And make...Enough fruit salad for double the amount of people we have. So yeah." she answered, imagining the large ornate bowl filled with delicious fruit salad.

"Haha, I think Nick mentioned something about Jay getting ingredients as well...How interesting that you both do that..." Sasha teased, nudging Anna's side.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Yes, well, we both like to cook and bake and stuff...It's not a problem. What was it though?" she asked.

"A dessert," he answered quickly.

"Alright then, fruit salad stands!!!" she said happily. The rest of the flight was spent collaborating with the other members of the teams about what they'd be bringing. The twins decided to bring soda and cider. Sam decided to bring stuffing, Rachel decided on sweet potatoes. Nick was arguing with Jay, trying to get him to tell the dessert before he simply shouted about bringing pumpkin pie. Jay nodded and said that would be acceptable. "A single pumpkin pie would likely not satisfy everyone, so both of their desserts would be welcomed." According to him. Everyone then began to pester Jay at what he was bringing, to no avail. Anna and Sasha talked about the dinner for the entire way to town. When they arrived, Anna stretched upon stepping out of the bullhead.

"I haven't been here since that day I was...On catnip..." she muttered to herself as they walked into town.

"Hm...You still don't remember anything from that evening?" Sasha asked as they turned the first corner.

"Nope...Just alot of...Fuzziness...I mean...I vaguely remember the cake...But maybe that's because I was eating it the next morning also...So...Other than that, nothing..." she answered.

"Well, hopefully it'll come back to you..." Sasha said. "It would be a shame to forget things like that, if any of what Jay said was accurate." she added.

"Hm...Speaking of which...I was thinking though...Do you think...I should get an upgrade to my weapon?" Anna asked.

"Oh, well...That was sudden...But maybe...I don't know...You could see Grant about it...Or another weapons expert...I mean, Jay told you that Grant offered to fix up your weapon. So maybe catnip-you had a point? It seems like it's something you want, so go for it..." Sasha answered, putting her arm around Anna's shoulder as they entered the grocery store.

"I don't know though...I've had my axe like this since...Since I could remember...None of the foster homes I was in ever dared try to take it from me...Even when I slept, I held onto it...And they tried...Oh yes...They tried." she said idly as they filled the basket Sasha carried with their ingredients.

"So is that how you became so skilled with it?" Sasha asked as they picked up the largest container of potatoes they could get.

Anna nodded, "Something like that...I made a show of the skills I  _did_  have...Just to discourage them from continuing to try...And from there I just sort of...Practiced more and more...It became like...Another limb to me. So I'm just...Having difficulty deciding on whether or not to try and change it." she stated as they went to the counter. "You like to mash your own potatoes, do you?" she added as she watched. **  
**

Sasha chuckled, "Yeah, I got the arms for it. So I mash em myself. And if it's so important to you...Like...Another limb, important...Than I think you should  **definitely** do it." she said with confidence.

Anna raised an eyebrow, "Why?" she asked.

"Because...If it's really that close to you...Well...Your body doesn't stay the same, does it? Your body grows and changes as you do. You change yourself...You change...Anything you want to, but you change it, and it can pretty much always lead to you becoming a better person with time, so yeah...I think you should definitely let your really-sharp-arm-staff-limb grow along with you...Don't you?" she said as they left the store. Anna stayed silent for a minute to consider her words.

"You're right...Wow...Thank you Sasha...I'm not sure what Jay said when I asked him that, but I think you might have been a bit more helpful in this case..." she chimed, walking in step with Sasha.

"Yes, well, he's intelligent and all, but Jay's not the best when it comes to decisions like that...He looks at it as a numbers decision. And takes his time doing the math. This is a decision that has to be made on a more...Personal level." she said, tapping Anna's collarbone. On the ride back to Beacon, Anna pulled out her scroll, and they spent time to pick a design for her weapon, but coming to several conclusions.

"Well...Uh...You can just talk to Grant about it when you go to get it upgraded, ok?" Sasha offered. Anna nodded as the bullhead came down onto the landing pad. Sasha thanked the pilot as they dropped from the open side. They quickly went to drop off the food off at their dorm before getting to their next class with Jay and Nick...

* * *

 

Anna and Sasha waved them off as Jay and Nick walked onto the airpad towards the bullhead that was taking them into Vale.

"So...Where are you going for you...Mystery dessert?" Nick asked, almost nudging Jay's side, but stopping himself.

"There's a place in uptown Vale...It's a prefered store...Has all the ingredients I need...It's quite a walk though..." Jay answered simply as they climbed into the bullhead.

"Yeah, well I'm going to go to the pie shop over west a little. They have the best pie you'll ever taste..." he insisted.

"Something makes me doubt that. You don't know pie until you've tasted the ones my mother used to make..." he muttered with a chuckle.

"You never really say much about your family." Nick pointed out.

"Nor do you...Tell me about your family, eh?" he asked. Nick laughed for a moment, considering the question.

"Well...My mother...I don't think I told you that she was once a huntress too...The gun was hers...But she's been gone for a long time, so there's not much to tell about her...As for my father...Actually, he's still alive...Actually, he's in Vale, also...But uh...I don't see him much..." he explained.

Jay nodded, "Bad relationship?" he asked.

"No, actually...We...Got along...Quite well, really..." he answered.

Jay raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And...Your father just...Let you be a thief? An interkingdom mercenary thief?" he asked, laughing a little.

"One, I didn't take just  **any**  job, you know...I had morals...Sort of...And two...Yeah. Pretty much. He raised me until I was old enough to do chores in Vale without him going with me...Gave me my mother's gun and...Told me that I had something I needed to do. Told me to go and learn...Get better...Stronger...World-savvy, you could say...He said it was how I was going to find my mother...So that's what I did." he explained.

"You became a thief after your dad kicked you out with...Just a gun?" Jay asked, becoming a little more curious.

"No no...That's not what happened...Even when I was a thief, my dad always gave me a place to stay...Somewhere to go back to...Something dependable...He never kicked me out...And yeah, just the gun...But that gun earned me a sword...Earned me a name...Basically got me here to Beacon." he said, pulling the gun from it's holster and looking over the designs.

"Interesting...I see why you would be so keen to keep ahold of it all this time...But...Wait...Earned you a name?" Jay inquired.

Nick nodded, "You bet...Not many people knew it...Then again, I didn't want many people to...The only people who knew that name were either future targets who  **knew** they'd be targets...Allies...Or the uh...Recently deceased." Nick replied. **  
**

"And...What'd they call you?..." he continued, clearly a little eager to know.

Nick laughed, "They called me the Nevermore with a Gun..." he answered finally.

"That named you after a creature of Grimm?" Jay asked.

"Well it seemed fitting enough to everyone...I went after whoever I wanted to go after...No one seemed to see me coming, even if they knew I would eventually...And no matter how hard people tried, they never could seem to shoot me down...So yeah..." he said. The bullhead was moving over the landing pad as he answered.

"Well when you put it that way...I guess it is quite fitting...So do you visit your father often?" Jay asked as the bullhead landed and they climbed from the back. They stretched for a few seconds, waving the pilot off as they walked.

"Not...Often...But I do still visit him...Send him money from my savings...When he needs it, you know?" he said idly.

Jay nodded, "I do the same for my mother..." he said as they turned onto the sidewalk from the airfield.

"You don't say much about her though...What's she like?..." he asked.

"Hm...Well she's...Hm...I'm not sure how to answer that...She's not what she used to be...After my father and brother's death, she wasn't well for a while...She recovered though...She's...A fighter...Even if she doesn't seem like it. She would pretty much always stand back up until the moment she dropped dead. Even if she was silent alot after that day." Jay explained.

"Ha...Sounds impressive...And she approved of you leaving and becoming a hunstman?" he asked.

"She told me to live the way I saw fit. She told me that my life is what I make it...I could rule the world, if I only made it so...And that if I wanted to become something that would protect the world...That it was my choice..." he replied. Jay stopped walking suddenly at a street corner. "This is where we part...I will meet you here in about an hour and a half." he said curtly.

Nick raised an eyebrow, "Uh...Ok...I guess...See you then...Don't die..." Nick responded. What else could he say to...That...

Jay nodded, "You also. Stay alive..." he said. And with that, he turned and walked off towards upper Vale. Nick crossed the street to the corner across from them. He was just about to continue on his way...When something occurred to him...And he turned back to watch Jay turn the corner...

* * *

 

Nick quickly ran across the street again and ran over to the turn Jay took. It led down an alley, at the end of which, Jay was standing, facing away from Nick, messing with his scroll. He muttered to himself and started off at a trot deeper into the alley.

"Jay, what're you doing..." Nick muttered to himself as he ran after him. He stopped near the end of the alley and ducked down onto his knees before glancing around the corner. But he wasn't there...Nick looked around for a moment before looking up, to where Jay was running up the fire escape on the side of the building. There was a car parked near the end of the alley. 'That explains it...' he thought. He waited for Jay to get to the top of the roof before going down to the end of the alley and jumping up onto the car, then jumping back and grabbing the bottom of the fire escape ladder and climbing up himself. By the time he reached the top of the roof, Jay had already jumped to the rooftop on the opposite side of the street.

"Really?...For fucks sakes...Only faunus should be able to do this anyway..." he said to himself as he dashed up to the edge and jumped after him. He rolled to his feet and ducked behind the large square entrance to the roof, looking out to make sure Jay hadn't seen him. But Jay hadn't appeared to notice a damn thing, instead continuing on his merry way. He crouched low to the ground as he followed after Jay, making sure with each jump, he either rolled to a ledge, behind a vent or door opening, or laid down. But each time, Jay didn't look back, didn't stop. Just kept moving. Occasionally, he would jump onto the top of a light post or building sign to get across the street in a less aura-consuming way than simply leaping across. Nick followed suit each time, making a game of following Jay's footsteps exactly. 

"Huh...Those all-seeing eyes failin' you, Jay?" he muttered to himself he watched Jay leap casually onto the stoplights of the street and trot across the metal poles, hands at his side, then jump to the next light, trot across it, and jump lightly onto the next rooftop, as though he was just having a fun walk through the city. Nick rolled his eyes and waited for him to cross two more rooftops before jumping onto the street lights after him. Nick considered shouting out to him...Making his presence known...But he decided against it. If he did...Jay might not take him to wherever it is he was going...And he had to see that. Especially if it was what he thought it was...He jumped over another shorter span of rooftop and stopped. Jay jumped up and dropped down into another alley. He ran over and jumped over onto the rooftop where he dropped from and carefully looked over the edge to see Jay casually step out of the alley, long black coat and all, just typing away on his scroll with one hand. Nick jumped down, using a small bit of aura to catch his fall and regenerate the rest, rather than to use a larger amount and catch Jay's senses. He walked out of the alleyway after him and watched him cross the street to a tall ornate building.

"The prison...So...You  **did** come to see him afterall..." Nick muttered under his breath, as if scolding him from this distance. "Hang on..." he muttered, looking around. He was in uptown Vale...Exactly where Jay said he was going. "Huh...So I guess you didn't lie...You just...Didn't tell the whole truth..." he muttered, looking around. After a minute of consideration, standing in the alleyway, Nick started walking again. "Let's see how the pie is around here..." he said to himself.

* * *

 

Jay stepped forward to the counter and glanced back over his shoulder with a sigh. The large inside of the building was built in the styles of Atlas architecture. That was only to be expected, considering who was co-head of security right now...

The lady behind the counter smiled at him, "How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm expected...By General Ironwood..." he responded simply.

"If you could give me your scroll so I can confirm this, I'll give him a call right away..." she said, stretching out her hand. Jay handed her his scroll and she placed it in the slot above the keyboard to scan. After a minute or so, she removed the scroll and handed it back to him, "He'll be right down. If you could turn over your weapons..." she informed him. Jay reluctantly pulled off the sheath attachment for his tonfas and handed them over. "Thank you...You may sit down and wait for General Ironwood. He shouldn't be long." she took the weapons and stood, going through a small door behind her desk for a minute.

"Thank you..." he responded as she left, then turned to sit down and wait. He wasn't waiting long, however. A door in the back opened and the General himself walked through. Jay stood and walked over to him.

"So, Mr. Overstrand...You're here to see one of our high security prisoners? How did you, a first year, manage to get approval from Ozpin for this?" he asked as he led him back through the door and around a large pillar that served as an interface, towards an elevator at the far end of the room.

"I'm just...Good at talking. I talk. People listen. Things happen...That's about all there is to it." he responded curtly.

"Hm...Well if this request had come from anyone other than my old friend, I wouldn't ever have let it happen...You know that, don't you?" he asked as he entered the passcode for the elevator. He didn't worry about Jay seeing it...A new passcode was generated every five minutes or so. The elevator opened and two armed guards stood inside. Further precautions, he assumed. They were instructed to shoot on sight if anyone carried a weapon. They both stepped into the elevator, which closed in front of them.

"To be honest, I'm slightly surprised you let it happen either way...You read our reports, correct?" he asked, not looking up at the General, who stood just more than half a foot taller than he was.

"Yes. I did. And if any of what you said about this...Creature...Is correct, then no one should be going in there at all, except to keep him sedated..." Ironwood responded, sounding a little annoyed.

"So then...Tell me...Is it  **just** because Ozpin approved of it that you're letting me, a mere first year in to see him? Or is there something else..." he let his voice trail off, watching the General out of the corner of his eyes.

"Whether there is or isn't is of no concern to you. Just-"

"Oh, I understand now...You can't get him to talk, can you...About any of it...And you suspect I might be able to...Which means...You also suspect there's more to this...More to what he said..." he said in an almost taunting voice.

"A good General would never ignore a threat, no matter how small. Because no one can know how many lives such a mistake would cost..." he responded. Jay looked up, but there was no display telling them where they were going...

"Something makes me suspect...You might..." Jay finished as the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened again and the General stepped out into the hallway. The hallway led to another circular room with a large interface pillar. Probably the same one...They stepped to the left this time, the door surrounded by two armed guards on both sides as it opened. The hallway was well lit, and Jay  could see the black doors on the silvery hallway walls. They came to a door near the end of the hall, and General Ironwood spent a minute entering pass-codes to unlock it.

"You have five minutes. That's it. Get him to say something..." he demanded, before walking off towards a door at the end of the hall. Jay opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him. The room was brightly lit, and was divided in two by a large pane of glass. Jay looked over the glass with his Semblance...It wasn't really glass...It was a powerful electromagnetic field. It utilized the subatomic processes that made things solid, and took it to an entirely new level, to create a barrier that couldn't be breached...But was still completely see-through. Jay glanced to the sides of the wall, where there were coms...So that they could hear eachother, he guessed.

Suddenly a voice broke him out of his analyzing..."I wondered when I'd get a visit...Where's the team..." Xellos muttered from the other side of the cage. In this cell, Xellos only had a bed to sit on, and was chained to both walls. He wore a black outfit, all one piece. He was sitting crosslegged on his bed and looking Jay dead in the eye when Jay looked to him. Jay stayed silent for a few seconds. "Ah...You didn't come here with their knowledge...Did you..." he muttered.

"I have a few questions for you..." Jay said simply.

Xellos chuckled, "Of course you do...But you know...Curiosity can kill even the most clever of foxes..." he responded simply.

Jay's mind reeled with only more questions at this statement. He considered finishing the saying with 'But satisfaction can bring it back...' but decided against it. Instead, he cleared his throat, "What will kill me first though?" he asked.

Xellos smiled and stood, laughter filling his chest. "Good question...Quite a clever fox indeed." he taunted.

"How do you even know about that...Only Anna calls me that, and you...Shouldn't know..." he said.

Xellos nodded, "Of course the cat-girl would call you that...It's an interesting thing most faunus share...We can determine what type of faunus someone would be when we look at them...And we can also determine how their trait will manifest...I can see the tail of a fox...Follows you everywhere you go...I also have a tail, you see...Faunus believe that the way our traits manifest can often be determined by what we are going to become..." he explained.

"Thank you for the detailed answer...But I didn't come here for a lecture on faunus lore. Tell me...On the ship...Your threats...What did you mean...You weren't begging for your life...Were you..." he snapped. Xellos looked at him for a few seconds. "Answer me, Xellos." he demanded.

Xellos stood and walked up to the force-field, "Do you know what color the sky is...When it rains blood..." he said simply. Jay was taken aback by his question.

"Wha-...What?...I don't understand...Why would you ask something like that..." he stuttered. He considered the question for a few seconds.

"You don't know? Well...There's always... **Someone** with an answer...Isn't there..." he continued, as though he hadn't heard Jay speak up. Jay narrowed his eyes in consideration before he understood what he was trying to say.

"Alright...If that's the case...Who has the answer to that particular question?" he insisted, eyes widening.

Xellos' tail began to swish back and forth behind him, "You're good at this game..." Xellos teased him more, smirking.

"Game...I didn't know we were playing a game...If I win this game, can you answer my questions..." he asked, becoming slightly annoyed. He could feel his thoughts seeth at the way Xellos was looking at him.

"Questions  **are** the game, young scholar...All you have to do is find the right ones...You're doing marvelous so far...Continue." he dictated as he went back to sit on his bed.

Jay gritted his teeth as he thought...He didn't have long...He needed to get something useful out of him quickly..."Do you...Know the person who has the answer to that question..." Jay tried. Xellos said nothing, motioning for him to continue as he laced his hands in front of his lips, staring at Jay. Jay rubbed his forehead, "Is...The person who has the answer... The same thing you were trying to warn us about?" he tried again. Xellos smiled a bit and his tail began wagging again. "Ok...Um...Come on, think...Blood...Should we...Fear this person?" Jay asked. Xellos' tail stopped, but his smile remained. Jay shook his head, "I don't understand...Talk to me...Please...Does this person mean to do the public harm?..." Jay asked, becoming more agitated. Xellos raised an eyebrow. Jay growled a bit through his throat and slammed his fists against the force-field with all his strength and aggression, "ANSWER ME, XELLOS!!! DOES THIS PERSON MEAN TO DO HARM TO MY FRIENDS!!!"  he demanded, glaring at him through eyes of gold and crimson.

Xellos' smirk widened, "Now  **that's** what you  **really** wanted to know...Isn't it..." he spoke at last, leaning forward a little. Jay breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down. Xellos stood and clapped three times, "I knew we were alike...You and I..." he said, stepping towards Jay. Jay closed his eyes, still trying to calm down. "Now...For that...Lovely display of passion...I'll answer you...One. Single. Question..." he said calmly.

Jay's eyes widened as his head suddenly filled with every question he'd asked...Only one of them could have an answer...He closed his eyes to think. He had to make it count...He would be called from the room any time now...'Come on, think...' he commanded his head. He looked back through the conversation in his mind, considering each detail. His eyes snapped open as something an epiphany crashed into his consciousness. He turned back to face Xellos.

"........How many of my questions...Have you already answered?..." he asked. Xellos' smirk changed to a bright smile of understanding...He knew exactly what Jay meant.

"All of them..." he muttered simply...The door opened behind him, with General Ironwood standing there. He waved for Jay to follow him. Jay turned and began to walk to the door. "Wait..." Xellos called. Jay stopped and turned to him. "Since I see so much of myself in you, I'll do you a kindness and give you one more..." he said. Even the General looked a little attentive as Jay turned. But before Jay could open his mouth to speak, Xellos continued..."You asked me if we should have fear...If I didn't know better...I'd say that we should be running for our lives, but..." Xellos' voice trailed off as he shook his head, "There's no where to run...There's just...No escape..."

* * *

 

General Ironwood took Jay to a small black room, brightly lit, and sat down in front of him. Jay knew what he wanted, but wasn't sure what to give him. He was still working it out himself...Xellos had answered his questions, and Jay didn't suspect him of lying...Which means he needed to analyze his conversation carefully. He told Ironwood that he had no idea what Xellos had meant...And it wasn't even a lie. Ironwood spent ten minutes trying to get Jay to speak. But he couldn't say anything with any degree of certainty. Instead, he took Jay back up to the lobby and instructed the woman behind the desk to return Jay's weapons. Jay waited in anxious silence for her to reemerge from the back room with his weaponry and thanked her quickly before rushing from the hall.

He glanced around the sidewalk for a few seconds before sighing and jogging off towards the grocery store he said he'd be at. It didn't take him long to get there. That's why he'd chosen this store. It was close enough for him to make it convincing if he was questioned. He glanced around him again as he jogged through the doors, but stopped nearly immediately. He sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. He turned to the bench just next to the doors in the store, where there was a phone and garbage can for those who needed to wait for something. Sitting there on the bench was Nick. He smirked at Jay as he took another bite of the pumpkin pie he'd bought.

Nick shrugged and looked at the pie, "You know...I don't know why you'd come here...This pie is garbage..." he muttered as he tossed it into the trash can next to him and stood, "Why don't we go get a real pie...And have a nice talk..." Nick said, walking up to Jay. Jay didn't argue or say a word as Nick led them out and across the street. Nick and Jay walked in silence for a few minutes, Nick leading. It didn't take them long to get to the pie shop Nick had suggested. The sign above the shop said Jenna's Cake Castle.

“Really…Cake Castle? Isn't this a pie shop?” Jay asked.

“She sells cakes too. She prefers them, actually…But she also makes bitchin’ pies.” he answered.

“Wait…She? What, there’s a Jenna who works here? And you…What, know her personally?” Jay asked, a little confused.

Nick nodded, “Knew her when I was growing up…She was a friend of the family…Who do you think got her the money to start up a restaurant?” Nick said as he pushed the door open. They walked in and Nick led them to the counter on the far side of the restaurant. They took two of the barstools there and were quickly approached by a woman in her early thirties it appeared, with a nametag that read ‘Jenna’. “Two of your biggest slices of pumpkin pie, Jen…”

Nick said as she approached, “Gotcha Nick…Uh…Who’s your friend?” she said, gesturing at Jay. Jay looked over her for a few moments before narrowing his eyes at her in anger.

She was slightly taken aback by his red eyes, and looked back to Nick, gesturing at him again, “He’s my teammate, he’s had a long day so far, and when his eyes are red, he’s got a short fuse, just pay him no mind.” Nick explained to her quickly. She looked at Jay with a raised eyebrow before walking off in silence. “I know you’re annoyed, but must you turn on my friends like that?” Nick said, being careful not to nudge Jay to make sure he was paying attention. At this point, he knew Jay was always listening.

“Why was she heavily armed...” Jay muttered, still fuming a little in anger.

“Well of course she was armed…She used to be an assassin…Her skills would remind you of yourself, actually…But she wouldn’t attack you…She’s harmless now…Only uses those weapons in her own defense…Wait, speaking of which, how did you see weapons hidden on her person?” Nick asked curiously, but he already knew the answer. “I see everything, remember?” he answered.

“What does it matter if she was armed?...Wait...Where did you even see a weapon?” Nick asked, chuckling. Jay glared at him, anger returning a bit. Nick cleared his throat and glanced away.

“Didn't you see the dagger in her apron? Or perhaps the one on her wristband? And poison? Really?..." he retorted. He sighed after a moment, "I find it interesting that every woman we know is deadly in some regard…” Jay muttered, consciously trying to calm down.

Nick shook his head in wonder, “ I know, right?! It’s kinda awesome…But wait...You saw a poison coated dagger and decided to check her for weapons? Feeling a little paranoid today are we? So then…About that talk…Let’s hear it…What’d our wolf-tailed foe have to say?” Nick asked.

Jay closed his eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger, “I’m not completely sure…He played word games the whole time…I think he didn’t want to say anything in General Ironwood listening…” he answered.

Jenna had just come back with the pies, “Thanks Jenna…Wait…General Ironwood? But…He’s not supposed to be here yet…I’ve seen his schedule, he’s only supposed to be doing conference calls until he arrives to unveil some of his new toys…” Nick muttered.

“I guess Xellos was a good enough reason for an early visit…Wait…Where would you have seen his schedule?” Jay asked suspiciously.

Nick glanced away, taking a bite of pie, “Oh, uh……..The Library…” he answered quickly.

Jay sighed and shook his head, “Suuuuuuuure. It doesn’t matter…He’s here, and not very happy about Xellos…” Jay responded.

Nick shrugged, “Ok, so what **did** Xellos say?” Nick asked.

“He asked me if I knew what color the sky was when it rained blood…” Jay answered.

Nick’s eyes widened, “What the fuck kinda question is that…” Nick said, frowning and taking another bite of the pie.

Jay had only begun to eat his, but was already more than halfway through it, “Well I think…He was trying to tell me what we’re supposed to be watching out for…But I’m not sure…” Jay answered.

“Did he say anything else?” Nick asked.

Jay nodded, “Although…I’m not sure it’s what he said that was important…”

“Uh…What do you mean, did he…Give you something? What happened dude, you got to talk to me…” Nick insisted.

Jay shrugged, “I don’t know, but…I think…He wanted me to pay attention to his body language…He told me he’d answered all of my questions, so…I think…Ok…Hold on…” Jay took the last bite of his pie and closed his eyes, putting his hands together. Nick noted his breathing slow down as he finished his own pie. Jenna approached them at the bar and almost spoke up before Nick waved frantically and raised a finger to his lips. She nodded with a raised eyebrow and took the plates, leaving the check while Jay continued going through his thoughts.Jay suddenly sighed and opened his eyes, “Ok…I think I have it…” Jay said almost too silently to hear. Nick raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to keep speaking as he paid the check, noticing Jay’s calmer demeanor. “Someone is going to come after us to kill us…They’ve killed a lot of people so far, so he won’t care about us…I think Xellos used to work with this man…He could possibly even be related to him…” Jay began, rubbing his forehead.

Nick frowned, “But that can’t be…The Watcher saw the file…We even saw it after that before the mission…Just like he said, Xellos doesn’t have family…” Nick stated.

“Yeah…But you forget his line about blood…Maybe it’s not his family, but it’s someone he feels a very close bond to…” Jay retorted.

“Ok, so like…Someone he feels is a brother to him?” Nick thought out loud.

Jay nodded, “But clearly he doesn’t feel that way anymore…He’s afraid of him now, I think…” Jay continued.

Nick shook his head, “How do you know this if he didn’t say anything…” Nick asked.

Jay chuckled, “He used body language…He gave me answers for me to interpret…Something tells me he knew how I’d interpret them…He insisted that he and I were the same…That we’re like eachother…He knew how I’d interpret his body language and used it to give me the answers to each question…” Jay answered.

Nick nodded, “Ok…I could buy that…Thieves do that quite a bit…As do soldiers…So then…If he answered your questions…How much do you know?”

“I know that whoever it is…We can’t get away from them…They’re even more powerful than Xellos…They may even be his boss…If Xellos was warning us about him, then he probably has a hand in whatever Xellos was doing with the Grimm…He’s gonna have more resources, more reach…Who knows…We might not be safe even at Beacon…” Jay answered.

“If that’s the case…Than we have to tell Mickey…We have to tell Team SCRT…We have to tell Anna and Sasha…Anyone who was involved could be in danger…Although…” Nick let his voice trail off.

“Although?” Jay asked, asking for him to continue.

“The festival…Ironwood…His new toys, who knows…Maybe we’ll be ok with all the new security…They’re sending in armed airships…If Xellos didn’t want this operation public, I’d wager this…New one doesn’t either…Would he risk an attack like that?” Nick wondered.  
Jay shook his head, “I…Don’t know…Really, Xellos is the only one who does right now…We’ve got to talk to him again…” Jay muttered, leaning back on the stool.

“Well didn’t we already say we were gonna do that? Before the start of the semester?” Nick asked.

Jay’s eyes widened, “We did…Alright then…We can do that…” Jay shrugged as he stood. Nick stood with him and they began to walk towards the door when Nick nudged Jay’s side. Jay almost snapped at him in annoyance but he gestured over to the counter. Jay glanced over and saw Jenna come from the back room. He sighed and glanced back at Nick before approaching the counter and getting Jenna’s attention. He cleared his throat and pulled a twenty lien note out of his pocket, “I apologize for my glaring earlier…I shouldn’t have gotten angry at you…” he placed the note on the counter for their tip, “And thank you for the pie…It was as good as Nick said it’d be.” He muttered. He walked back over to Nick as they walked from the store.

Nick smiled at him, “See? Was that so hard?” he asked. Jay grumbled and made a growling noise as they walked to the nearby grocery store to finally retrieve what they had actually come into town for. Before they left, they went back to Jenna’s Cake Castle to get two whole pumpkin pies for the party and headed back to the airfield…“Anna’s gonna kill you when she finds out, you know…And if she doesn't…Sasha will…” Nick muttered as they boarded the bullhead with the grocery bags in hand.  

Jay sighed, “I know…”

* * *

 

When Nick and Jay returned to the dorm, they found it devoid of Anna and Sasha. They found a note on Jay's bed.

"Head to Mickey's as soon as you're finished cooking your dishes...I would have called you, but you needed to get changed into casual wear for the dinner anyway...Hurry it up... -Sasha." Nick read. Jay used fire dust to cook the dessert he was preparing, which turned out to be a large tray of brownies...Nick sighed and looked to Jay, who was already going through his bag for his casual wear...Nick rolled his eyes, having already removed the armor on his body to get into his own casual outfit. They both prefered casualwear anyway...It didn't take them long before they ran out the door to get to the airfield again.

"Really, with the coat? You carry that thing everywhere, what's with that..." Nick asked as they trotted quickly.

"Oh shut up, it comforts me..." he responded quickly as they approached the same pilot who'd taken them into town. He looked at them and sighed, slumping his shoulders. Jay apologized for exhausting him like this...

He sighed again, rubbing his eyes, "No no...It's ok...I remember you two from that mission...You're friends with Alice, right?...Then it's ok...Let's just go..." he muttered, clearly still a little annoyed. Nick asked the pilot if he also celebrated the Day of Thanks, which was an evident yes to Jay, who figured he was annoyed because he had plans that he was going to be late for...When they got off, Jay made sure to wire him some extra money for his troubles...They had landed in the Residential district a few miles from Mickey's house. After a few minutes of squabbling and running, they decided to just call a cab for the rest of the way...It wasn't a very long ride, and they quickly paid and got out of the car. From the front, the building looking like a small five floor apartment complex with only one large room per floor. To the side, there was a garage, atop which was a bullhead.

"Her garage is also a landing pad?" Nick asked as they approached the door. Jay wore a grey shirt with his symbol on the front, jeans, and his coat. Nick wore just a red t-shirt, also with his symbol and camouflage pants. Jay knocked on the door and they stood waiting. Nick looked around the street. This was a more secluded area of the district, and the houses on the other side of the street looked a little overshadowed by the taller buildings on this side of the street. The door was suddenly flung open by Mickey, who stood in front of them in a light blue shirt. The sleeves went down to her elbows, and her white pants went down to her ankles...Where her feet were bare.

"Remember to remove those shoes, boys, come in, you cut it close, but dinner's not yet ready anyway." she spoke quickly with a bright smile. Both Nick and Jay were taken in by the smile and also brightened as Mickey took their selective dishes from their arms. The first floor looked like a large sitting room, with Mickey's cart off to the side, and an assortment of shelves that held things, and an assortment of armchairs along the walls...Mickey took them to the stairs at the back of the room after they pulled off their socks and shoes to put in the small cabinet. They walked up one flight of stairs to the second floor, which held the living-room area, where Anna and Sasha sat on a couch laughing with eachother about one of the pictures on the maroon walls. There was a large television on the wall, and a sitting area on the opposite side of the room from the TV. The sitting area had two large bookshelves and two large chairs each embroidered with an M and an A. There were windows on the wall with switches next to them. In front of the couch was a large coffee table, where Anna and Sasha had placed cups of sparkling cider. The small table just on the far side of the room had a small incense burner, which filled the room with an oaken scent, and made the whole space feel incredibly comfortable. Sasha nodded towards them and Anna turned to see the Jay and Nick with Mickey at the top of the stairs, closing the door behind them.

"Hiya slo-mos...What took ya?" Sasha said immediately. Sasha wore a sleeveless brown top with her symbol on the front, and tan pants. Anna wore a black longsleeve shirt with her symbol on the front and black jeans. Her jeans made the black on her shirt look like a somehow lighter black, to let the symbol be seen easier.

"You guys feel free to sit down...If you need a drink; the kitchen is on the next floor up, where we'll be dining as well...Sit down, get comfortable, we'll call when it's ready...Team SCRT is already upstairs just chatting up Alice, so I'mma bring these-...Chocolate...Jay!!! Did you bring those brownies?!" she exclaimed. Jay chuckled and nodded. Mickey smiled and sniffed deeply of the foil-covered tray with the brownies, "Life...Is good..." she muttered as she went over to the stairs to the next floor, which were stalked above the stairs to the first floor, with the door on the other side of the square inlet of wall. She used one hand, still holding the trays, to open the door and walk up to the kitchen. Jay and Nick walked over to the couch. Nick sat next to Sasha on the far side of the couch and smelled the incense burner next to him, enjoying the scent.

Jay walked over to Anna and gestured to the seat next to her, "Would you allow me to sit next to you?" he asked. She chuckled a little at the question and nodded, patting the seat next to her. He smiled and sat down, putting an arm around her shoulder and leaning his head against hers.

"Aww, look at theeem. So cute..." Sasha teased. Both of them didn't really pay attention to her ship-obsessive raving...It was a compliment anyway, and they both knew it.

"So uh...Jay, do you know what the point of that uh...Like...Sitting area on the first floor was? Does Mickey like...Take appointments for something, or what?..." Nick asked, glancing over at Jay.

"Hm?...Oh yes, that," he lifted his head a bit, having been not paying attention to much else but Anna. "Well sort of...The fifth floor of this building is a gym... She keeps equipment and some powerful dust up there, along with training weapons...It's where she helped me before I came to Beacon...She sometimes teaches martial arts classes or ameteur weapon combat up there...She does have kids classes, and the parents are allowed to be up there if they want, but they mostly stay down in that sitting area...Both Mickey and Alice teach this class, alternating each week...Lately, it's been their stronger source of income, what with the robberies and such of local dust shops causing an increase in prices...Mickey's lucky because she has regulars at Beacon, but even some of them are having to cancel their orders because of the prices...And people are so scared of being the victim of something, that alot of people are paying out to nose to learn how to defend themselves..." Jay explained.

"Wow...That's interesting...So...What's the fourth floor?" Nick asked, having a feeling he already knew the answer.

"Bedroom...It has a desk, a very large bed, a large bathroom, and a closet that you don't want to ever go anywhere near..." he answered.

"Wait, what? Why? What's in that closet?" Sasha asked. Jay stayed silent and Nick glanced away a little nervously. Anna picked up what it was from Jay's expression nearly immediately and turned a little red, but smiled. After a few seconds of glancing between their faces, Sasha's eyes widened and her mouth opened several times in shock, then she made a face, "Oh my gods, ew. How...Why do...How...Why?! Do  **you**  know that, Jay?!" she demanded.

"I mistook the bathroom door for the closet door once...It never happened again..." he answered, suddenly noticing Anna's smile and turning red.

"All-seeing eyes didn't want to see that, did they?" Nick asked facetiously, laughing at the thought.

Jay shrugged, "It wasn't that, it was that my power wasn't completely developed back then...I could only see through...Not that much...And I couldn't see very far past things...I couldn't really look through a door and see much...So I didn't know...And uh...Yeah...Mistakes were made, ok? Let's get past that..." Jay said quickly. Suddenly they heard scrambling from the stairs and all turned to see the twins burst through the door and raise their hands.

"FINALLY!!!" they shouted together and walked over to the couch and both leaned their elbows on the backboard, "We need you guys to settle a bet..." they continued in perfect sync.

Nick and Jay looked at eachother, "Uh...Ok, anything we can help with..." Nick answered.

"Who would win in a fight: Mickey and Xellos on a team...Versus both of our teams..." they asked.

"Mickey and Xellos..." Nick said, "Our teams..." Jay said at the same time. Both of them looked at eachother in annoyance. The twins groaned and leaned heads back...

"That's  **exactly** what happened when we asked Mickey and Alice!!! Mickey said our teams would win, but Alice bet on Mickey and Xellos!!!" said together.

"Ok, how the fuck can you two keep in sync like that?! What the fuck even is that?" Sasha snapped all of a sudden.

The twins looked at eachother, "We're not completely sure...We just...Think alike..." they answered, shrugging.

"So...You just happen to be in sync? It's just...You two happen to think so alike that you're already sure of what the other's gonna say based on...Your own thoughts?" Sasha asked, a little skeptically. The twins nodded. Sasha sighed, "I don't know what I expected..." she muttered and leaned against Nick.

"Now hold on a second...How could we win a match like that, Jay...Mickey and Alice have  **way**  more experience than we do,  **way**  more skill than we have, and over-all better tactics...There's no way we could win that fight..." Nick started.

"You're talking to the tactician about better tactics? Please Nick. We've beaten Xellos before with just **our** team...And I think I would trust team SCRT to be able to beat Mickey, or at least hold her till we're finished with Xellos..." Jay answered.

"By which time we're already at half power or less, exhausting both our bodies and our dust against a practical tornado..." Nick retorted.

"Don't you think that the combined efforts of both our teams would be able to overcome Mickey, who would also be exhausting herself and her supply against team SCRT?" Jay snapped back.

"Please, both our teams  **and** Alice couldn't beat Mickey at Cannon Hunting...How would we possibly manage in a real fight..." Nick answered.

"She won one of four games, Nick, and even if her chances were twice that in a fight with us, all at half strength, we'd still have a 50/50 chance at victory..." Jay reasoned.

"Did you forget Xellos was a thing, or are you just being contradictory because you're 'that guy,' come on. We both know Xellos held back against us in that last fight...He and Mickey are matches for eachother, and at full strength, we wouldn't even manage to separate them to begin with..." Nick responded.

"Or maybe we  **would** be able too, if we were working together as well..." Jay pressed.

"Dude, it's two of them...How would we coordinate an attack of 8 against a force like them...Who'd call the shots? You?" he asked.

"Yes!! With the best view of the battle as it happens, I'd be most suited to coordinate...And even if I weren't, Sam and you are very capable leaders as well, don't you think we'd stand a chance?" Jay answered.

"Wow, I can't tell if that's confidence or arrogance talking, either way, I'm surprised that you're the one being so one-sided about your abilities...You forget that Mickey and Xellos have fought before...They're experts, Jay...With just their one exchange, they probably know eachother's skills better than we do eachothers...Their combination would simply be too well rounded for even us to handle...At best, we have a chance...A  **slight** chance of overcoming that...I'd say at best, we have a... Oh, I don't know, a one in about twenty chance of winning that fight? At best..." Nick said with finality.

"While I take issue with your insinuation that my words are empty arrogance and not a carefully analyzed assessment of my abilities, I will forget that and just say this...If Mickey herself said we'd win...Why wouldn't you trust **her** vote of confidence? Isn't she the expert? A professional? If anyone would have the right to speak on that matter, it'd be her, yes? She says we'd win...So maybe it's just confidence on her part, but I trust her enough to not just assume she's wrong, or to let down that vote of confidence in us..." Jay retorted, capturing the same tone of finality.

They both sighed and sat back for a few moments until they realized that everyone was staring at them...Including Rachel and Samuel, who'd come down with two cups of cider in each hand. One for themselves and one which they'd brought for the twins. They stood silently, glancing back and forth between them. This silence dragged on for...No one really knew how long...There wasn't even a ticking clock in the room.

"Oh...Uh...Sorry for the uh...Argument...We uh...Got carried away..." Jay stuttered. Nick just stayed silent. Rachel handed Chris his cup and Sam handed Tia hers.

"Oh!! Oh, we're sorry guys I'd have brought two more cups down for you if I'd...Known that...Uh...You know..." Sam muttered.

"Always the nice guy, Sam...Don't worry about it, we'll grab some before dinner, ok?" Nick assured him. Sam chuckled and nodded. The room was silent for a few more minutes.

Jay cleared his throat, "H-hey Anna...You look great this evening..." he said, putting his arm around her again and holding her close.

Before she could even blush, they heard Mickey from upstairs, "GUYS...DINNER'S READY. COME ON UP..." she shouted. Everyone was a little relieved at the distraction and went upstairs again. Jay and Anna stood and made a flourishing motion to take Anna's hand. She turned red and took it, standing up and going upstairs. Sasha and Nick followed last.

"You also look nice, just if you were wondering, which I'm not sure you were, because...Like...It's pretty obvious you're hot..." Nick muttered as they walked slowly towards the stairs.

Sasha smirked, "Yes, I know, and thank you for saying so...And another thing...I know it's cute and all, but thanks for not saying it in front of everyone like Jay did..." she muttered, groaning.

Nick nodded, "Yeah...For an introvert, he's prone to some pretty public displays of affection...And Anna seems to like it, but I always thought you weren't the type to be really into...Displays like that..." he stated. Sasha chuckled and nodded, leaning against him as they walked up the stairs for dinner.

* * *

 

Nick and Sasha went through the open door at the top of the stairs and were greeted with a large dining room table. The whole floor was separated by a large wall with a door that led to the kitchen. Alice stood over the table admiring the aesthetic as everyone sat down. Mickey pulled the chair at one end of the table out to sit in. Alice moved to take the other. She wore a red button-up shirt and jeans that were folded up above her ankles.

"You're allowed to sit with your girlfriends or boyfriends, just no kissing at the table," Alice said as she sat down. The turkey was over by her, the cook. A large bowl of fruit salad sat next to two bottles of cider, and one bottle of root beer. Alice and Mickey's glasses were already filled with wine, and an incredibly large bowl of mashed potatoes and a bowl of gravy and a ladle, sat next to Mickey.

"Geez, did you mash every potato in the kingdom, you bear?" Rachel asked in a taunting voice.

"Bite me, whip-bitch, I fucking love mashed potatoes..." she retorted.

"Oh come on, let's not fight...We're supposed to be all thankful for peace today..." the twins said as they sat down. Sam had a simple brown and red plaid shirt on with khaki pants. Rachel wore a simple dark green dress with a red belt. The twins wore alternately colored outfits of light blue and dark blue, with Chris' top being dark blue, and his pants being light blue, Tia's top being light blue, and her skirt being dark blue. Anna sat next to Mickey, Jay sat next to Anna, and the twins sat next to them, with Chris closest to Jay and Tia next to Alice on the end of the table. Sam sat next to Alice, with Rachel to his right. Sasha sat next to Rachel, with Nick on the end next to Mickey.

Jay sighed and rolled his eyes as he looked over the table. The baked sweet potatoes sat next to the fruit salad in front of Sasha. Alice had already taken a large knife and began to carve the large turkey. For a few moments, the table argued about who should get the legs of the turkey before Mickey shouted over everyone and said the twins, who were the only two not participating in the argument, would get the legs. The twins grinned and knuckle-bumped eachother in silent triumph as Alice cut the legs from the turkey and leaned over, placing them on the twins plates.

"Alright, everyone else, pass their plates in a circle, and let's not make a mess, ok?" Alice said. Everyone picked up their plates and began to hand it to the person to their left, including the twins, who wanted more than just the turkey legs. Tia picked up Alice's plate so Sam could place his on the placemat to be served more easily. But no one held a plate for more than a minute, as Alice's knife skills made quick work of cutting, serving, and passing it on. Within ten minutes, everyone had been served turkey, and were saying thanks to both Mickey and Alice for having them over. Sasha piled the mashed potatoes onto a third of her plate, saving the last little space available for a sweet potato and fruit salad, which Jay had stolen a good portion of immediately. The table was alive with everyone complimenting everyone else on the dishes they'd brought.

Everyone started to quiet a bit after nearly an hour of second servings and laughing about how odd it was to just be sitting down in casual clothes for a nice dinner. When it did, Nick looked over at Jay until he caught his eye. It was difficult, as he kept glancing back and forth between his plate, and Anna and hers. When he did, he raised an eyebrow and formed his fingers into an 'X'...Jay nodded mouthed 'after dinner.' Nick nodded in return. It wasn't long before they were slowing down. Anna was the first to finish, followed by Rachel, then Alice and Mickey. Jay and the twins were the last to be full with their meals. Sam came back into the dining room from the kitchen, having been taking plates to the sink to help Alice. He and his team had arrived much earlier than team JNAS, so Sam took the opportunity to help Alice with the cooking, while Mickey set up the table. And now, Sam insisted on helping with the dishes to make the night easier.

Mickey stood, "Alright guys...Downstairs...Sasha, if you would help me bring up some of the chairs from the first floor for everybody, we can sit down and watch a movie for a little while before dessert..." she said.

"Oooh, a movie? What's it about?" the twins asked immediately.

"It's about five people of incredibly different race and size travelling the universe with a magic weapon of mass destruction...And the only thing they have in common is their psychological damage..." she answered. "Bring your glasses, because we'll be using this." she continued, walking around the table. She picked up the one bottle of sparkling cider left unopened, but the other bottle, and the root beer had been cleaned out.

Everyone but Sam and Rachel went downstairs. Sam insisted on finishing up the dishes for them before joining them at the start of the movie. Sasha and Mickey went down to get more chairs for everybody while Nick and Alice pulled back the couch and rearranged it to allow the chairs to fit properly. Jay, however, took Anna's hand and pulled over towards the sitting area, asked her to sit in Mickey's chair, and pulled Alice's chair closer to her. She looked over at the others before looking to Jay, who's eyes were locked squarely on hers.

"So uh...Ahem, Anna...I noticed at dinner...That you were eating...More than you usually do..." he began.

Anna's eyes widened, "Oh, yeah, I know, I shouldn't eat like that, I'm going to gain we-" she was interrupted when Jay waved his hand and reached over, taking her hands in his.

"No no no...That's not what I meant...I meant...I'm glad...You don't normally eat that much...And when you don't eat, it worries me...I mean...I know that an eating disorder is difficult to overcome...And I'm glad you've been trying...I just wanted to say I'm proud of you..." he went on.

Anna's eyes got wider and she stuttered for a few seconds, "I...Uh...W-what...You...I...Y-you noticed that I...A-and...It...Oh god..." she muttered.

Jay shook his head, "Anna, it's ok...You've got nothing to be ashamed about, nor anything to feel guilty for...I just wanted you to know that I've noticed you doing your best to overcome it...And that I'm proud of you, and happy to support you..." he finished, lifting both of her hands and placing a kiss on both. She didn't know what to say for a few seconds. Jay waited for her to speak up, keeping his eyes on hers.

"I...I didn't even think...I didn't even really...I mean...You've...I didn't really think you knew it was an actual eating disorder..." she muttered.

"I just pay a little more attention to the one I love...It wasn't that it was obvious...It's that I just looked a little closer..." he said.

She looked surprised for a second, "One...O-one you love?..." she muttered.

Jay smiled and nodded, "Yup...If I had to pick something I was most thankful for on this Day of Thanks...I'd pick you..." he said confidently.

Anna considered what he'd said for a few seconds before smiling and standing, pulling him to his feet also, "Thank you Jay...For your support..." she said, putting her arms around his shoulders and letting him put his arms around her. She gave him a kiss on the lips for a few moments before releasing. Suddenly they both noticed Sasha standing next to them, smiling almost giddily at them and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry. Was I...Interrupting a moment here? I'm sorry. I'd ask you to just ignore me, but I don't think bright-eyes here can...Oh my gods, you two...Are the cutest thing ever...I want to take a picture, hold on." she said, reaching for her scroll.

"One, take that picture and you'll never find your scroll again. Two, you did in fact interrupt a moment...Was there a reason for that?" Jay asked, keeping his arms around Anna.

Sasha paused for a few seconds with her scroll in her hand, but chuckled a little as she placed it back into her pocket, "Yes, if your all-seeing eyes would look at something other than your girlfriend for a few seconds...The chairs are set up, Mickey's pouring the cider, and the movie's about to begin..." she answered.

Jay's eyes widened, "Oh, that reminds me...There's something I should probably bring up before we start the movie..." he muttered to himself as he and Anna walked over to the seats. He glanced at Nick, who nodded and stood up. Both of them walked over in front of the TV and Jay waved his hands a little to get the groups attention. Sam and Rachel had just come down and taken their seats as they did.

"Everyone...There's...Something I'd like to tell you about..." Jay started.

* * *

 

Mickey stood before the boys with her arms crossed. The room was silent...

"Why was this visit even authorized..." Mickey demanded.

"Ozpin thought the same thing Ironwood thought...I might be able to get something out of him...That's all I can guess..." Jay responded. He was taller than her by inches, but still felt like he was looking up at the Huntress.

She glanced sidelong at Nick, "You weren't party to this, were you..." she guessed.

Nick shook his head, "I followed him..." he responded. He too felt like even at his full height, taller than Jay, that he was somehow smaller than Mickey.

"And he didn't catch you following him? Wow, Nick..." Sasha muttered through the silence.

Nick shook his head again, "Oh no, he knew I was following him..." he said.

Jay glanced up at him, "How did y-"

"Dude...You looked back at me when you entered the building...How did you think I wasn't gonna see that...You knew I was there..." he interrupted, looking back at Jay in confidence. Jay closed his mouth and looked back at Mickey, who looked back and forth between them.

"And he said  **nothing** but these riddles, and the warning..." she insisted. Jay nodded.

"Maybe he won't tell you anything until he sees all of us? I mean if he said he was expecting a visit then asked where the rest of us were...Maybe he'll talk if we're all there..." Anna put in, being careful not to draw Mickey's attention too much. Mickey tapped her foot for a minute in consideration.

After a few minutes passed, she sighed "Well then...I guess we'll just have to go back and get him to tell us more about his warning...They can't do much torturing unless approved by Ozpin, and I doubt he'd ever give a seal of approval on that, so...We'll just have to see..." she muttered.

"We already had plans to visit him at the end of the break, before the semester resumes, so we can go then?..." Nick asked.

Mickey nodded, then waved her hand for them to sit down, "The movie's about to start...So park it and let's get started." she ordered. Nick and Jay took their seats immediately, Jay taking a seat as close to Anna as he could get, Nick sitting in between him and Sasha. The movie wasn't much farther than halfway in, during a prison break scene, when Alice got up to go dish up dessert. Mickey also stood to go help, and in a few minutes, they brought down ten plates with brownies and pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream, which they quickly handed out along with forks before they returned to their seats with their own plates. When the movie ended, everyone stood and stretched immediately, like they were in a theater. They decided to all take their plates upstairs to the sink, and took turns washing their own plates. Mickey wrapped the remaining brownies for them to take, but Jay opted to give the brownies to team SCRT instead. Sam tried to tell him they couldn't take it, but the twins vehemently denied his claim. Sasha watched Mickey hand over the brownies with an almost heartbroken expression.

"So  **that's** what having a family dinner feels like..." Sam said as their team left Mickey's house.

The twins both nodded as they left, Chris holding the tray of brownies, "That was nice...We should do that more often..." they said together. Team JNAS decided to stick around a little longer and talk with Mickey and Alice...

"So he practically fell down the stairs after realizing what he was looking at, and Alice was in the kitchen making herself coffee...She almost dropped the cup and called an ambulance, because his face was red she thought he had a fever...I heard his scream of horror and raced down to see him sitting with his hands over his eyes like they were burned, and Alice holding the phone and standing over him. But when I came down, I saw the closet door open and realized what had happened, so Alice hung up the phone, and we sat him down for 'the talk,' which apparently he hadn't gotten yet 'in his travels'...And he never opened that door again..." Mickey finished, smiling brightly at team JNAS, who all had large smiles on their faces from giggling at the story. Jay sat to the side and sighed with bright red cheeks.

"You just  **had** to hear that story, didn't you guys..." he muttered a little annoyed.

"Wait...That was your first time getting 'the talk?'" Sasha asked in a mocking tone.

Jay groaned, "Mickey already teaches teenagers, it wasn't a big deal for her...It wasn't even really a big deal for  _me_. They gave me a book or two to read on the subject, and it's past, so let's not bring it up...And besides, how the hell did  **you** guys get the talk? None of you really stuck around your families, did you, except for Anna..."

Anna shrugged, "My foster parents tried to give me 'the talk,' but it was all fear mongering and evasive answers, so I just visited the library at Signal to learn about it..." she corrected.

"My father gave me a more comprehensive talk when I visited him once, and I just kinda figured it out from there..." Nick added.

"I never really lost touch with my mother...I got 'the talk' when I was twelve...And I learned as I grew..." Sasha stated.

"Well, hasn't this been a nice happy-share-time. Let's change the subject. Starting now." Jay said immediately after Sasha finished.

Mickey rolled her eyes and looked at the group, "Well...I'm glad you guys had a good time...And thank you for coming..." she said.

"Jay was right, this  **is** an event to look forward to with you...Hopefully we can do it again next year...It's by far the best family sit-down I've ever had..." Anna told her as they went downstairs. It was almost dark out, and they could get in trouble for staying out too late...Mickey and Alice waved them off, letting them take the rest of the pie from Jenna's after Nick spent a few more minutes telling them about Jenna's Cake Castle before they left. Jay and Nick almost decided to get a cab and let Anna and Sasha catch a different one, but they decided instead to have Jay and Anna pair up, while Sasha and Nick did the same. As drowsy as they all got on the flight to Beacon, none of them really realized that they were collapsing into their beds and falling asleep until it had happened...

**Author's Note:**

> ATTENTION. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SEE THE ARTWORK, UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE REQUEST OF OUR ARTIST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR THE TIME BEING. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF/WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO REPOST THE ART. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.


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